I am such a big fan of having to do lists and a calendar for my work, and my personal life. Like a friend told me not long ago "if it ain't on the list, it don't get done". Yes, this might be how we get big shit done, but it does nothing for the everyday minutia of our lives. Seriously, it's our routines that make those things quicker and easier to manage and without 'em your life and list becomes a hot mess.
Does Your Routine Work For You
Honestly, I could never accomplish a thing in my working day if it were not for the daily routines I have in place to speed me along. They are the If This Than That of my life. The trigger of one thing or habit that leads to the next and the next. You know what I mean. The unthinking, frequently auto pilot portion of our lives.
For example, you wake in the morning roll out of bed and turn the coffee pot on, or brush your teeth, or wake the kids, or let the dogs out. Whatever they are, these habits, are likely the beginning of your day, every day. And these habits strung together become our daily routines.
Now the best routines work for us and not the other way around and that is powerful. So they need to be purposeful as much as possible yet with an understanding that its need and necessity that forms them. For many people, the 9-5 workaday world is what provides the need of their routines. Change your job and it is likely you will be changing your routine.
Change A Habit And Change Your Routine
But that doesn't mean we are mere robots who are slaves to our routine, no way. Our brains are facile enough that we can have a different routine ever day and it will keep us on track. In fact, we all make subtle changes as the seasons change and barely notice it. We are able to add or subtract from a routine and hardly miss a beat.
So this is huge. Slip in that new habit you want to accomplish, like exercise that you have been either resistant or even lazy about doing. It may be difficult at first because it isn't part of your routine yet. Schedule it for 21-28 days which is what it takes to form a new habit and whatever you choose becomes part of your now, new routine.
Sure, you had to set yourself a reminder for the last 3 weeks that you wanted to exercise in the evening. But what makes it stick is that you chose Monday Tuesday, and Thursday after you walk your dog. Now your walk with Spot is the trigger for the addition of that habit into your routine. When you arrive home you're ready for your work out, and if you and Spot did more than just stroll maybe you don't need the warm up time before you begin.
So Why Am I So Charged Up About Routines
It is the auto pilot part. If you have no routine or a poor one, you constantly backtrack your steps or think what do I need to do now. When you have good routines in place for the mundane but necessary, you don't think about them. Your brain is free as a bird in flight while your hands and feet go about the tasks at hand. This can be some extra your time. Maybe you have ideas to brainstorm or a new audio book you have been meaning to find time for. Whatever you want that time for, claim it by making your routines work for you.
I want to challenge you to alter or streamline some part of your routine and make it work better for you.
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~~Joyce